2. Touzen no Ketsumatsu (A Natural Ending)What is the boundary of co-worker's and love? Shirakawa Ryo wants to know, and asks Murai Shigeru to test it with him. Problem is... can Murai go through with it?

3. Juusan ya Gentou (13th Night Moon Magic Lantern)We are brought to the crossroads between life and death, where the red spider lilies grow, and a gorgeous man waits eternally for love. It's a story about how you're never happy with what you have until you lose it all. (Horror/violence/tragedy/sex/suicide)

4. Kase, Arui wa Soku Baku

5. Yume no Atosaki (Before and After a Dream)What if you suddenly died, and an angel offers you ONE wish? What would you wish for? Takeshi is going to get his wish granted... but maybe not the way he thinks.

Part holy shit, part holy cow, part WHAT THE HELL.Served with a layer of awesomeness, intensity and an allure Kunieda-sensei knows best.

I personally think this whole tanko (read the raws) is basically a whole twist of the (kind of usual) yaoi storylines here. My illiterate take of the chapters I read:

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1st chapter is a play of the 'brother-in-law' conventions; and the recently popular 'single father' storyline; taken a dark twist from a most unexpected perspective; the child. And how dark it is.

2nd chapter is a play of the 'first time' storyline; a play that took somewhat a tragic turn at the end. Not bloody as it is sad; Think Natsu Jikan.

The 3rd chapter, one that has been scanlated is, if you may use faux-intellectual literary term, a meta-twist of your usual happy endings in yaoi; you know, 'depressed guy meets mysterious guy, they fell in love and live happily ever after.....'....what happens after the ever after? In this particular story, ennui, that leads to gruesome ending.

I forget the 4th chapter, sorry.

5th chapter is half romance, half black comedy... and satire, personally speaking. Of expectations and imaginations and judging the cover of the book.

6th chapter, that is the sequel of [url=http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=15285]Mimitabu no Riyuu[/url], is a dose of sweetness that sticks like sore finger here (I suspect weird publishing decisions), but nonetheless is playing with the conventions of 'happy endings', that is the 'forever' part; the characters grow, and sometimes taking a....weird turn.

Overall; it's a very good, if twisted read. Not exactly Future Lovers, but brought with the same amount of control like all of her works, this one a delicate touch between madness and melancholy and -- maybe, happiness.

Where has this mangaka been all of my life She is repeatedly so unique and thoughtful with her storytelling. Juusan ya Gentou (13th Night Moon Magic Lantern) (the third story) was absolutely amazing. It was actually like some kind of

Spoiler (mouse over to view)

twisted

folk tale. I have read an embarrassing amount of yaoi manga, (;-_-) but 13th Night Moon Magic Lantern stood out from them all. If you like this work, definitely check out Bannin which is another one of Kunieda's.